Saturday, 12 January 2013

Five Senses Friday (belated)

Yep, onto the second week of Five Senses Friday and already I'm a day late!

Sight: Les Misérables -- saw this last night. It actually exceeded all my expectations -- don't ever trust a trailer, is my advice. Oh and don't watch any lead-up documentaries. Just sit down, have the tissues ready and let the film draw you in.

From the opening scenes of the slave ship and Hugh Jackman's wizened (yet still just plain beautiful) face as he works on the chain gang, to Anne Hathaway's frankly heart-breaking and intimate rendition of I Dreamed a Dream* to the uplifting epilogue featuring the whole cast singing a reprise of Do You Hear the People Sing it's just ... superb. Oh and watch out for Gavroche. He will break your heart. There's also a very dashing young man we spotted playing Grantaire (one of Marius' student friends initiating the revolution over a bottle of wine -- actor is a lad name of George Blagden). Watch out for him too.

...I am a massive massive fan of the stage show, have seen it maybe four or five times, seen the anniversary DVD, heard the original concept album, fully paid-up member of the I Heart Les Mis brigade, so I went in with preconceptions that frankly I just had to leave at the door. I will always love the stage show but there is something profoundly moving about seeing the characters' faces so close up.

* Oh and I admit, I was (too) quick to bewail the casting of the over-prolific Ms Hathaway and then after hearing her stripped-backrendition of IDAD on the trailer I bewailed even further. And then I watched the film and retracted all criticism. It works. She works it. She earned her stripes.